Find out how popular the last name Killings is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Killings.

Killings, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Killings surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Killings in America

Killings is the 30701st most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Killings surname appeared 759 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Killings.

We can also compare 2010 data for Killings to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Killings

The surname Killings has its origins in England, dating back to the early medieval period. It is derived from the Old English words "cylling" or "cylla," which referred to a small stream or brook. This suggests that the name likely originated from a place name associated with a settlement near a stream.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Killings can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Chillinges." This entry refers to a landowner or tenant with a variation of the name in the county of Lincolnshire.

During the 13th century, the surname began to appear in various records and documents with slightly different spellings, such as "Killynges," "Kyllinges," and "Kyllingge." These variations reflect the phonetic nature of surname spellings during that time period.

The earliest known bearer of the surname Killings was Sir Robert Killings, a prominent nobleman who lived in Warwickshire in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was William Killings, a merchant from York who was mentioned in records from the 1400s.

In the 16th century, the name Killings was associated with several places in England, including Killingworth in Northumberland and Killingholme in Lincolnshire. These place names likely derived from the Old English words "cylling" and "holm," meaning a stream and an island or dry ground, respectively.

During the 17th century, the surname Killings gained further prominence with individuals like John Killings (1624-1690), a renowned English clergyman and author, and Mary Killings (1655-1738), a notable philanthropist who founded several schools and charities in London.

Other notable bearers of the Killings surname include Thomas Killings (1720-1802), a respected lawyer and judge in Yorkshire, and James Killings (1801-1876), a pioneering engineer who contributed significantly to the development of early steam engines.

While the surname Killings is not among the most common in the English-speaking world, it has a rich history spanning several centuries and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, including nobility, clergy, merchants, and professionals.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Killings

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Killings.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Killings was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Killings has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Killings was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Killings, please contact us.

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